Daddy's Approval
by SplishySplash
Summary: Eli David comes to get his daughter, but not if Tony or Gibbs has anything to say about it.
1. Plausible Deniablity

Title: Daddies Approval

Author: SplishySplash, Ihave207Bones

Pairing: Tony/Ziva

Rating: K+

Spoiler: Season 7

Summary: Eli David comes to get his daughter, but not if Tony or Gibbs has anything to say about it.

Chapter One: Plausible Deniability

She stood playfully close to him with her chest against the back of his chair and her new Star of David rested on his shoulder. Her breath tickled the hair on the back of his neck as he read his email she laughed softly at the content, an inappropriate forward about condoms sent from one of his buddies from the Baltimore P.D.

When she asked him to explain a part of the content he looked up at her amused. "You know this is a personal email, right?" He tried to reprimand, but the smile on his face sent it out the window.

"Did you know that the content of that email constitutes as red light behavior?" She answered innocently and turned to the filing cabinet to file the latest paperwork on the case they had just closed.

He stood up and pressed her up against the cabinet, his hands on her hips. "What constitutes as red light behavior these days?" He whispered in her ear, sending chills down her back.

She shut the drawer and turned around, her back against the metal and his arms moved to either side of her shoulder with their noses nearly touching. "Maybe you should pay attention during the training." She said huskily. "Or I can remind you."

Her eyes traveled down to his lips, daring him to make the next move. His heart thumped loudly and he was convinced that she could feel it, but hers mimicked his. Tony hated it when she put him in limbo, where he couldn't tell if she was serious or not. Today was a not, as she stomped on his toe and his hands dropped to his side before a well placed smack on the back of the head caught him off guard. It was Gibbs, whose stony face hid the amusement well. "Are you two finished playing grab ass?" He asked as he sat down at his desk.

"Yes boss." Tony said with a glare and sat back in his chair with a pout.

She smiled triumphantly as she returned back to her folder in her hand, pretending to read the writing on the paper as Gibbs' phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs." He said into the receiver, Ziva looked to the boss waiting for the word to grab her gear. He frowned and looked up at Ziva. "Can you distract him, McGee? Okay got it." Tony and Ziva shared a confused look. "Eli David just entered the lobby."

Ziva's blood ran ice cold. She wasn't ready to face the man who disowned her and sent her on a suicide mission where her new family saved her. "What do we do boss?" Tony asked as his voice rose in pitch.

The treacherous elevator dinged loudly and they all knew was in the cabin. "Hide her." Gibbs said with a pointed finger in her direction while getting to his feet and shoving all remnants that she was there into a drawer. He pointed to Tony's desk as he got up to meet the director and Tony grabbed her wrist, shoving her into the small space. He tucked his legs underneath the surface and she buried her face into his knee, he could feel her tremble against him.

It wasn't like her to hide, she was an assassin after all, but Eli David had power that she was well aware of. Though she had resigned from Mossad, he had the power to revoke her visa and legally force her back to Israel where she would surely be killed. The door slid open and McGee stepped off, looking panicked as Gibbs sized up the man. "Hello Special Agent Gibbs." His accent was thicker, more precise than his daughters, but the resemblance was uncanny.

"Director." He said coldly, he nodded to McGee who scurried over to his desk and sat down, he looked over at Tony, who pretended to type on his computer and uninterested in the man who just entered the squad room. McGee tried to catch his eye, but he wouldn't look up from his screen.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my daughter." He said with a smile as he looked around the room for her. When he didn't see her, his focus turned to Anthony DiNozzo, the one who held her heart. "Where is she?"

"She is out for the day." Answered a voice from behind him, it was Leon Vance. "She said she wasn't feeling too well this morning."

The older man scoffed. "America has made her soft, she would have never asked for a sick day when. . ." He said, before he stopped and smiled. "I have come to take her home."

Gibbs' glare made Tony wince from across the room as he reached under the desk and ran his fingers through her hair as she buried her face deeper, to stifle her breathing. "She is home, Eli." Gibbs said firmly.

To prevent a scene from breaking out, Vance placed a hand on the director's shoulder. "We should take this up stairs, to let people get some work done around here." The old man nodded and Leon led the way to the stairs, causing Tony to tense and look up at the man when he passed his desk. Ziva clung to his leg and he wished that he could take away her discomfort at that moment.

"How about we take the elevator? My body aches from the flight." Eli said as if they were meeting socially.

"Right this way, Eli." Vance said and Gibbs followed, giving Tony a look that spoke volumes. His hand snuck under his desk and brushed against her hand as they waited for them to get to Vance's office. He caught McGee's eye and motioned to the desk and he nodded, the elevator dinged again and they waited with a hitched breath until the door closed.

Tony pushed back and helped her out of the crawl space, before booking it towards the only place they could think of to gather their thoughts, in Abby's lab.

With her much smaller hand in his and McGee in tow they took the stairs two at a time until they stormed into the lab, startling the forensic scientist and McGee shut the door. She turned the music off and did her best to look annoyed. "What the hell, guys?" She asked and took in their out of breath states, her annoyed face turned worried. "What's wrong?"

"We just need somewhere to get our thoughts together." Tony said as his arm went around her shoulders, pinning her to his chest and her face buried into it. Adrenaline rushed through her veins and she closed her eyes, never had she ever felt this scared for her life.

A sinking feeling in Abby's stomach made her turn to McGee with a harsh look. "What's wrong, McGee?"She asked impatiently, her flight or fight impulses raging as she looked between the three.

McGee didn't say anything, the guilt from not stopping Eli David from stepping in the lobby ate at him and his heart broke watching the woman cling to his friend like a life preserver.

Her grip tightened on his shirt as she fought back the tears. "He's going to have me killed. . ." She whispered, just loud enough for Tony to hear. "I disobeyed an order. . ."

"Shh, Gibbs won't let him take you." He said softly with his chin resting on her head and tightened his grip on her. "I won't let him take you away from me again."

The room was silent, except from the humming of the mass spectrometer and computers. Tony sighed before pushing her back slightly and sunk down just enough to look her in the eye. "This is what you are going to do. . ."He said before whispering into her ear instructions, so that McGee and Abby couldn't hear what he was saying. "You got it?" She nodded before he enveloped her into another hug and led her to the rarely used backdoor. Hidden behind the large oak door, he pressed his lips to hers tenderly and ran his fingers through her hair before giving her a slight shove out the door. "Be safe, please."

He shut the door and walked back to McGee and Abby. "What is going on, Tony?" Abby asked again.

With his voice low he told her about Director David's untimely arrival in the squad room. "We need to find a solid, preferably legal way to keep her in the country." McGee's face fell and he looked uncomfortable, Tony noticed it in a heartbeat. "Tim?"

"I'm sorry, I should've . . ."He said.

Tony placed his hands on his shoulders. "None of this is your fault, but all you can do now is help Ziva." Tony said, but he still turned away. "You called to warn us that he was on his way, if he would've seen her. . ."He shuddered to think of what that man could do her.

"Where did you send her?" Abby asked, already formulating plans on how to delete her from travel rosters and creating secret identities.

Tony turned to leave. "I can't tell you that." He said as he left the lab.

McGee turned to Abby. "He's creating plausible deniability." McGee answered, almost stunned. She sighed before turning to her computer and typing furiously, slowly McGee made his way back to the elevator to head back to the bullpen.


	2. 5 Degrees of Separation

**Title: Daddy's Approval**

**Author: SplishySplash, Ihave207Bones**

**Pairing: Tony/Ziva**

**Rating: K+**

**Spoiler: Season 7**

**Authors Note: I had a bunch of complaints about Ziva being out of character, but I would like to plead my case. During Shalom (4x01) when Ziva was on the phone with Gibbs asking for him to save her she was crying there too in the same sense that Ziva isn't full out crying in the last chapter, just overwhelmed crying or a tear here or there. Her dad sent her to die and now he has come to take her home, away from everything she has worked for in season 7. **

**Summary: Eli David comes to get his daughter, but not if Tony has anything to say about it.**

**Chapter 2: 5 Degrees of Separation**

Leon Vance's office never seemed smaller.

Eli David sat on the leather couch as Vance sat in the chair while Gibbs paced. Blood rushed through his ears and a wave of emotions flowed through him as Eli made his pleasantries, asking about Vance's family. Anger was the most prominent of his emotions, how dare he come in and demand his daughter back after he sent her to Africa to die.

". . . Children are great, that is why I would like to take my daughter back home."Eli said with a smile.

Gibbs frowned and slammed his fist on the table. "That is where you are mistaken, she is already home, with us at NCIS." He said firmly and paced some more.

"Again I thank you for saving her. . ." Eli said, his patience clearly wearing thin. He had gotten older in the past six months since Gibbs had last seen him in Israel, his hair grayer and extra weight in his face made him come off more fierce and a lesser man would've folded in the squad room.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was not a lesser man, and he would not fold. "We saved her from a mission that she wasn't supposed to survive." Gibbs said forcing his voice to remain neutral.

"She was following orders and she knows the cost, she is a Mossad agent and sometimes death is one of those costs." Eli retorted sitting up straighter in the chair.

"Ziva isn't a Mossad agent anymore."Vance said sitting upright in the chair. They had failed to mention to the director that Ziva's application for employment at NCIS had been approved and her citizenship papers so that she could stay in the country were pending.

Eli huffed and got to his feet. "She is my daughter and she belongs in Israel." He pointed an accusatory finger at Gibbs. "Ziva will be coming with me and there is nothing you can do about it."

It was then when Gibbs lost it. "So you can have her killed? Ziva has followed every order that you have ever given her, she killed her brother because you told her to. When she found out you ordered Rivkin to get close to her, she was devastated enough to take your mission to Somalia. You abandoned her." He yelled into his face.

"I did not abandon her, she willingly accepted the mission and it went awry." Eli shouted back, he poked Gibbs in the chest. "You were the one who abandoned her when you chose DiNozzo over her, that was the reason she grew reckless."

It was as if he was punched in the stomach. He knew he had made a mistake when he left her in Israel that things weren't going to be the same anymore, it was his fault that she was fed to wolves and he was determined to make it right. "I know leaving her in Israel was a mistake. And we went to Somalia to seek revenge on the bastard who killed her, but she was alive and I killed him and then I asked for her forgiveness."

*~*

Ziva drove to Tony's apartment and parked his car in his assigned stall. She rested her head on the steering wheel and took a deep breath before climbing out of the car and quickly ran upstairs to Tony's apartment. The lock was simple to pick and she smiled at the inside, it was cleaner than she remembered it, but a lone soda can set on the coffee table along with a stack of DVDs that strayed from his well organized rack that hung from the wall.

She went into his bedroom and pulled her shirt off, setting it on the bed and replacing it with an Ohio State University shirt. Her dress pants were replaced with a baggy pair of basketball shorts and it joined the shirt on the bed before reached into his closet for a hooded sweatshirt.

As she exited the apartment the sweatshirt made it over her head and the smell of Tony surrounded her, calming her slightly as she started to run.

*~*

He sat at his desk and impatiently tapped his pen on the desk as he silently prayed to whoever was listening that she made it to the destination with safely. He slammed the drawer shut and McGee jumped.

As Tony stood up, he paced in the small space between their desks and ran his hands impatiently through his hair. He just needed Gibbs to come down the stairs and tell him what they need to do to keep her here, at NCIS, in America.

Her father was a bastard he would know, he has had enough experience with bastard fathers to last a life time and hopefully once this is over, neither would have to deal with him again. He wouldn't be able to hurt her again, order her into dangerous situations and take her away from him.

He really couldn't live without her.

*~*

This was a plot from a book. A New York bestseller.

If it wasn't then it should be. The heroine was saved from the clutches of the terrorist by the self proclaimed attractive hero. Timothy McGee was a sap.

He watched Tony, who did his best to keep himself preoccupied. Every few minutes he would look up at the empty desk and his mood grew darker. They both had just gotten used to the women sitting there and she was beginning to get her spark back, threatening Tony and teasing him both with a good natured smile.

His attention turned back to his computer and began to type furiously. He was going to write this story with a happy ending and maybe start the next book in his series.

*~*

The music blared loudly.

The constant _thump, thump, thump_ of the base resonated and vibrated the chair she was sitting on was almost soothing. When would this place turn to a normal nine to five job, where she didn't have to worry about anyone in her family getting hurt or killed when they left the building? Her heart broke every time she catalogued evidence from a scene where they had to shoot back, every what if scenario would run through head until it drove her crazy.

They had just gotten her back. Ziva had only been back for three months and an official agent for a few weeks and now this happens? Abby hated it. Everything went from bad to worse for her and Abby just wanted to gather her up in her arms and not another bad thing happen to her.

Abby wished for it.

McGee wanted it.

Gibbs thought it.

Ziva deserved it.

And Tony needed it.

But right now she needed to focus on keeping her in the country as the _thump, thump, thump _subsided into one of Brain Matter's more mellow songs.

*~*

Gibbs slammed the door and trotted down the stairs with a look of fired in his eyes. In the years Tony had worked with the man he had never seen him so angry. Tony almost felt bad for the carpet that endured his angry steps. "Let's go." Was all he said from his desk, grabbing his gun and badge and he looked up to McGee. "Go wait with Abby in her lab we will set up a video conference."

McGee got up, pocketing his gun and badge before walking quickly down the hall to the scientist's lab leaving Tony alone in the squad room with Gibbs. As Tony went to Ziva's desk to grab her things, a hand went to his arm getting his attention. "Just how far are you willing to go for her?" Gibbs asked, standing chest to chest with Tony. His blue eyes were stormy and Tony shot him a brief look of confusion, why would he ask that? He would kill for her and die for her, necessary.

"Anything." Tony answered truthfully.

"Good." Gibbs said giving his arm a squeeze as they walked to the elevator.

*~*

Her feet hit the pavement one after another as she kept her eyes keen for anything suspicious. The November air was crisp and nipped her ears and cheeks red, compelling her to put the hood around her ears.

A left on Monroe Lane, three blocks until another right turn making the fifteen mile mark and just shy of her target. The familiar house on the American standard tree lined street was littered with red, yellow and green leaves. She didn't bother with the lock, it was open and she snuck into the front door with a soft click of the latch not that it mattered, nobody would be home.

She took the well warn path to the basement that held so many memories for her, it was her hiding place.

Ziva stood on the top of the stairs and saw a new skeleton of a sail boat rested on the floor, tools scattered on the bench. She took the steps to the floor and saw the one that she gave him, it was covered in sawdust, looking well used, bringing a small smile to her face as she pressed her back to the wall across from the new boat and slid to the floor, still out of breath from the impromptu run, she slid her boots that were not made for running off her feet. Her feet ached and she forced herself to forget the throbbing and closed her eyes.

She waited.


	3. Boats and Basement

**Title: Daddy's Approval.**

**Author: SplishySplash, Ihave207Bones**

**Pairing: Tony/Ziva**

**Rating: K+**

**Spoiler: Season 7**

**Summary: Eli David comes to get his daughter, but not if Tony has anything to say about it. **

**Chapter 3: Boats and Basement**

Gibbs drove like a mad man, especially when he was on a mission. Tony usually hung on for dear life to the 'oh shit' bar, but today he sat stoically in the passenger seat as Gibbs sped pass the security gate and off the Navy Yard. Tony didn't have to tell him where he sent Ziva, he already knew where they both would go and Tony stared out of the window, not even bothered to make conversation with him as Gibbs focused on driving somewhere near mach three and before he knew it the Charger pulled in the driveway. Gibbs put the parking brake on as Tony jumped out of the car and trotted up the path into the house, not bothering to wait for his boss to open the door for him, he entered and took the familiar path to his basement.

He stopped at the top of the stairs to survey the area, she was scared and he didn't want to startle her. The stairs creaked as he took them slowly, he didn't see any sign of her save for the boots on the floor. "Ziva?" He called out as he stood on the floor.

There was no movement from anywhere in the room as he walked slowly away from the steps. "Ziva?" He asked again.

"Yes?" She asked from behind him. He would have jumped out of his skin if it were possible, he turned around in time to see her put a screw driver back in its place in the drawer. His hand went to his chest, his heart was thudding loudly and his breathing labored. "Are you alright?"

"I bet you were one hell of a hide and seek player when you were younger." He said with a joke, her eyebrow shot up like it always did when she was trying to interpret the American idioms.

"It's a game Ziva, everyone hides and one person tries to find them." Gibbs translated as he came down the stairs with three bottles in his hands. He handed both of them a bottle of water and sat down on the stool, taking a swig from the bottle as they waited for him to say something. He pointed to the new laptop that sat on a box across the room, signaling Tony to set it up so they could talk to the lab.

Ziva sat down on a crate and folded her arms tightly across her chest, tucking her hand in the Ohio State University hoodie which Gibbs chose to ignore. "What did my father say?" She asked, Tony glanced at her from the computer, but turned his attention back to the computer.

"He would like to take you back to Israel." Gibbs in his normal taciturn response, he was protecting her from him.

Before she could inquire anything else, Tony spoke up. "It's ready to go." He said and on the screen were two very familiar faces, both with unsure smiles. Tony moved back and stood behind Ziva, his hands resting on his shoulders.

"How are you doing, Ziva?" Abby asked from her side of the screen, her voice was perky as usual. Her smile was somewhat comforting, the innocence of it.

When Tony squeezed her shoulders it didn't go unnoticed by Gibbs, but went ignored. "I am fine, Abby." She answered.

Abby opened her mouth to say something, but to save from any unnecessary conversation Gibbs spoke over her. "What do you have for us, Abby?" He asked.

"Between me and Timmy we have come up with a couple of options." Abby said, but the cold glare made her move on. "We could create you another identity you would have to go out of town for awhile to lure him off. . ."

Ziva shook her head negatively. "He will use all of his resources to track me down." Ziva said and as much as she hated the man, she had to give him credit as a very resourceful man. "And I could not work for NCIS under an assumed identity."

"Right, nix that idea." Abby said with a few clicks on her keyboard.

"I checked in on your citizen papers, they haven't moved since you sent them and I tried to have them rushed by calling my friend at the immigration office." McGee said clicking a few keys on the key board. "He said that these papers take forever to process and I asked him if he could rush them, he said that he could try to call in some favors, but he was doubtful because of how long to process takes. . ."

"McGee!" He was rambling and the three in the basement called him out on it.

"Uh he suggested that it would probably be easier to go back to Israel and we can petition for your citizen from here after six months or in a year you can reapply for a visa, by that time your application should be near the top of the pile. . ."McGee said, before Tony stopped him.

"Not going to happen, McGee." He said firmly with a shake of the head.

"Then she is going to have to get married." Abby said trying to hide the smile on her face, but failing miserably. Ziva tensed under his hands and glared at the scientist.

McGee sighed and rubbed his forehead, a headache had been setting in since he first saw Eli David enter the lobby. "Phil said unofficially that it would be easier to get married to stay in the country, but it has potential for a felony and deportation if you attempt to fool the government. The paperwork is quicker to process and he said you get brownie points if you're expecting a child."

Ziva paled visibly.

"Is that all that you got?" Gibbs asked.

"Well short of killing the director. . ." Abby suggested, with the shrug of her shoulders.

The room fell quiet and Ziva's insides turned. "We cannot do that." She said softly. "If he was killed on American soil, it would throw both of our countries against each other and create a political nightmare."As much as the idea appealed to all of them, they knew she was right.

That left one option left. "It looks like you are getting married, Ziva." Gibbs said, crossing his arms.

She jumped up and started to pace. "Are we not missing something here?" She asked. "Who can I ask to ruin their life so I can stay in the country? I am being selfish. I should just go back Israel. . ."

Tony grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "You are not going back to Israel." He said firmly, she shook him away and paced before running her hands through her hair. She mumbled something in Hebrew and wrapped her arms protectively around herself.

When she gathered her thoughts enough she stood toe to toe to him, ready to argue. "I do not really have a choice at the moment it is only a matter of time until he finds me, if not today then tomorrow or the next day and takes me back there anyway." She said as her voice rose in pitch. "I do not deserve to live here I have been nothing but. . ."

"You are not going back to Israel." Tony said his frustration was evident in his voice as he forced himself to be calm. She was minimizing her emotions and he wasn't going to allow for her to do that. "I maybe the selfish one, but I will not let you got back so that bastard can have you killed." Abby gasped from the screen and Gibbs closed it, to give the pair a little privacy.

"And what do you suggest I do?" She snapped with her hand on her hips and she stood tall, but still only came up to chin. Gibbs stood back and eventually snuck up the stairs without either of them knowing.

He huffed and rolled his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Marry me damn it." He practically yelled to get her to stop talking.

Her face fell as she tried to comprehend what he had said. "What?" She squeaked in surprise.

"Marry me." He said and she still looked bewildered so he held out his hands to his side. "What do you want me to do, get on my knee?"

"I can't ask you to do that." She cried, taking a step back from him.

He frowned as his arms fell to his side. "You're not asking, I am." He said softly, keeping his distance because he knew she felt intimidated and would lash out with her fist. "I meant what I said when I told you that I couldn't live without you, let me help you." She turned away and covered her eyes, her breathing labored as she fought off the panic.

With her back to him she mumbled something that he could barely make out. "Everyone who gets close. . . ."

"I'm still right here, Zee-Vah and Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, hell even Palmer, we are all still here for you. Let us help you through this." He said as she turned to see a soft smile on his face, slowly she walked over to his open arms and her arms went around his neck while his went around her waist, he lifted her up off her toes and smiled into her hair. "By the way I'm not taking no for an answer, so you might as well get used to the fact that you are going to be Mrs. Anthony DiNozzo."

She let out a small laugh as she buried her face into his neck. The stair creaked and she looked up from Tony's shoulder to see Gibbs walking down the stairs with his cell phone in his hand, which he pocketed when he notice her looking at him. "I take it that you said yes?" Gibbs asked.

Tony sat her back down on her feet, looking at her expectantly. "Yes." She said and he hugged her to his chest again.

When he let her go, she was gathered into the older man's arms and a kiss was placed on in her hair. He whispered in her ear, just loud enough she could her him like he did when she was sitting in the interrogation room, being interrogated for her involvement in the murder of a marine. "You aren't getting away from us that easy, Ziver." His breath tickled her neck and he placed another kiss at the crown of her head. "He's a good man I know he will take care of you."

Tony leaned against the work bench and watched her nod against the man who they both looked up as a father figure with his arms folded. He couldn't hear what he was saying, but he didn't care it was an intimate moment between them. When Gibbs released his grip on his fiancé, the term seemed foreign but welcomed, she pressed her lips to his cheek before walking over to lean against the bench.

He watched her for a moment and took her in she looked small in his clothing and dark circles under her eyes screamed exhaustion. "What do we do now?" She asked disrupting the silence.

Gibbs placed a box in Tony's hand. "You give her this." The box was velvet, the kind that held jewelry. He opened it and inside was a modest solitaire diamond set on a platinum band, carefully he pulled it out and she gasped as they examined it.

She held out her left hand and he slid it into place on her long fingers. "It is beautiful." She said breathlessly.

"Before you ask, it is very real." Gibbs said as Tony's mouth opened and closed a couple of times.

"Wasn't what I was going to say." Tony answered and waited for a head slap that didn't come. "I was going to agree, it is a very beautiful ring. Which wife did this belong to?"

That warranted a head slap from Ziva and an annoyed look from Gibbs. "Shannon." He answered sternly and Tony sent him an apologetic look.

"I can't accept this, Gibbs." Ziva said and before she could take it off Gibbs grabbed her hand.

His look was soft. "Shannon wanted to pass this down to Kelly, but since that cannot happen I want to pass it to you." He said gently, stunning both Ziva and Tony. Gibbs never talked about his first wife and daughter so openly without being prompted, or just coming out of a coma.

"Thank you." Ziva said hugging him one last time. When she released the hug and wiped a tear that had filled her eyes. "America has really made me soft." They shared a shared a laugh feeling the tension fade away.

"Come on, I'll make something to eat." Gibbs said, leading them upstairs.

*~*

He chose something easy and one of Tony's favorite, spaghetti while Tony and Ziva sat in the living room. They talked idly until they fell into a silence as the pasta finished boiling and he finished setting the table before fetching them for dinner. Ziva had fallen asleep with her head resting on his lap, the throw that belonged on the back of the couch surrounded her.

Tony looked up from the paper in his hand and Gibbs motioned for him to join him in the kitchen. Carefully he slid out from underneath her without waking her and she pulled the blanket around her closer.

"Spaghetti, my favorite." Tony said quietly and sat down on the chair as Gibbs sat across from him. The table was long and suddenly Tony knew what this was. It was the awkward prom date discussion with the parents before she came down the stairs, Tony sat up straighter and prepared himself for it.

Gibbs folded his hands on the table. "You break her heart, Anthony. . ." Gibbs said.

Tony shook his head. "I know and I don't expect anything less from you." He answered seriously. "I will try my hardest to make this work."

"Alright then." Gibbs said, reaching to the middle of the table and started to dish the pasta onto his plate.

The younger man let off a sigh of relief and shook his head as he turned somber, placing the fork back down on his plate. "What happens now?"

"Director Vance called, he says that Eli will go higher up if he doesn't talk to his daughter tomorrow so Vance suggested that we bring her in tomorrow to talk to him." Gibbs said, taking a bite of his dinner. "McGee is taking care of all the paperwork and Abby is very excited to plan a wedding for Saturday."

Tony choked on his glass of water and started coughing. "That's the day after tomorrow."He said hoarsely, his eyes watering as he forced air into his lungs.

Gibbs nodded. "That is why Abby is planning it, so you and Ziva can focus on dealing with other things." He said taking another bite of his pasta. "Don't worry, we will get through this."

"Thanks boss." Tony said with a smirk, he didn't doubt that Gibbs would go to the ends of the world to make sure they all made it through intact. Finally Tony took a bite of the spaghetti and a bright smile replaced his smirk. "This is really good boss."


	4. Morning Meetings

**Title: Daddy's Approval.**

**Author: SplishySplash, Ihave207Bones**

**Pairing: Tony/Ziva**

**Rating: K+**

**Spoiler: Season 7**

**Author Notes: ** Woah . . . thank you for all the reviews! I wanted to point out that Tony and Ziva are not in an established relationship, just super close-a healthy respect between them.

**Summary: Eli David comes to get his daughter, but not if Tony has anything to say about it. **

**Chapter 4: Morning Meetings**

Ziva arrived at the NCIS office promptly at eight. She placed her backpack on the side of her desk and placed her gun in its spot, before pulling off her jacket and rested it on in back of her chair as she tucked her skirt under her as she sat down and started her morning routine. Her muscles ached from sleeping on Gibbs' couch all night, but probably not as much as Tony's did. He sat with his back against the chair and her hand in his and they stayed like that until Gibbs shook them awake before the sun rose.

Gibbs drove Tony to his apartment before waiting for her to get dressed and drove them to the Navy Yard discussing the plan for the day that he had discussed with Tony the night before, before disappearing to the little coffee stand across the parking lot leaving her to enter the building by herself. She wasn't by herself for long and she looked up from her paperwork as Gibbs placed a Styrofoam cup on her desk with a smile before sitting at his desk.

It was McGee who came up from the lab, looking as if he hadn't left the lab since before yesterday. His shirt was wrinkled and his tie was loosened, the dark shadow on his face from not shaving. He placed a stack of tagged papers on her desk. "Will you please sign next to the pink tags and give them to Tony to sign next to the blue." He said with his voice hoarse as if he had just woken up. She flipped through them and was surprise to see most of the details filled out and the gender color coded tabs and her eye brow rose at the details. "I've been working on it all night." He turned to his boss and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Good job, Tim." Gibbs said passing him a Styrofoam cup of coffee and a tired smile came to his face. "Go home for awhile, take a shower and get changed."

He turned and Ziva jumped up to grab his wrist. "Thank you McGee." She said with a smile which he returned before padding out of the squad room dragging his backpack towards the elevator as both Gibbs and Ziva shared a chuckled at his almost zombie like state as the elevator door closed.

She thumbed through the stack that was the size of the standard case folder, the blue and pink tags were distracting as she would sign and pull one off, add a super fine detail and pull another off. She was four pages in when the familiar footsteps exited the elevator, late according to the time on her desktop. Ziva paid him no attention and a small smile on her face caught the late comer's attention.

He stepped into her personal space with a boyish grin that she knew he was wearing. Impatient for attention he turned her chair and placed his hand on her desk. "Hello Tony." She said brightly, finally looking up as the faint smell of his cologne surrounded her. He dressed up more today, his crisp grey suit clung to him tightly and a white shirt poked up at his collar with his favorite tie hung down his chest.

"Hello Ziva." He said surprising her by leaning down and pressing a quick kiss on her lips setting the fireflies in her stomach free. Maybe it was dragonflies? She knew that it wasn't correct, but he chased those thoughts away. Her hand automatically finding its way to his cheek as his cupped her neck, not letting her go until he was ready, it left her partially stunned.

She looked at him questioningly, he usually wasn't the most professional in the workplace, but at least he knew his boundaries, not that she minded though. "What was that for?" She asked in a surprised whisper.

"It's because I can." He said proudly bring a blush to her face. When he stood up to full height was greeted by a head slap from Gibbs who was passing to go to the elevator.

"What have I said about keeping this out of the office?" Gibbs asked sternly, but with a smirk rested on his face as Ziva let out a hearty laugh.

Tony shrugged as he placed his bag on the floor. "Sorry boss, but I can't promise that it won't happen again." He said with a cocky smile, gaining another head slap from his boss. Ziva smiled before returning to the papers on her desk as Gibbs walked over to the elevator, it was about time Abby needed a Caf-Pow.

*~*

Eli David stood on the cat walk watching his daughter interact with her boss who placed a cup on her desk, sending a bright smile and turning back to work. She had her mother's hair, that was long with many different shades of dark browns and reds that rested in soft curls and was held back by a head band. The look of concentration on her face as she wrote on the forms was one he knew too well, it was his own look up to the way she wrinkled her nose slightly when she was trying to solve a difficult problem.

The last time he saw her was the day she hopped on a transport to Jordan and she was angry. Angry at the world for messing with her, angry that she got herself into the pain she was in and now she looked almost happy as she chuckled at her friend.

The friend left and a familiar face exited the elevator. Anthony DiNozzo had a huge smile on his face when he saw his daughter, she ignored him and he grew cocky inappropriately stepping into her work area, getting a clear view down her low cut top that she would have never have warn as a Mossad agent. What surprised him was that Anthony's eyes didn't wander from her face as she looked up and as he leaned closer, she cupped his cheek as he kissed her softly.

Wide eyed, he let out a small smile as the man was smacked upside the head as his daughter tossed her head back with a laugh.

A hand was placed on his shoulder and he turned to look at the man he called friend. "Shalom Leon." He said thickly.

"Shalom Eli, I trust you had a good night's rest." Leon said, shaking the man's hand. He turned his attention to back to his daughter, who laughed at Anthony again as he was smacked upside the head again. "Are you ready to talk with your daughter?"

Eli nodded and followed the fellow director into his office.

*~*

The phone on her desk began to ring as soon as she started to concentrate again. Tony looked up at her almost nervously, knowing exactly who was on the other end. "I will be right up." She said softly as she placed the phone in its cradle.

She got up and straightened her skirt. As she came around her desk, Tony met her in the middle and pulled her into his arms. "Do you want me to go with you?" He asked into her ear.

Ziva pushed him away gently and a nervous, but a confident smile came to her face. "I will be fine." She said as she gave his hand a final squeeze before walking away towards the stairs. His eyes followed her as she took each step confidently until she disappeared from his sight.

As she placed her hand on the door knob, she took a deep breath to ward off the nervousness she was hiding. Ziva David was not a nervous person and she could not remember the last time she felt this way, the years she spent performing and as an assassin had chased it out of her. She pushed open the door and the secretary smiled at her, blissfully unaware of the situation as she buzzed the agent in.

Vance sat on the couch as her father sat on the chair and both looked up as she entered the office. Vance looked between the man and his daughter before standing up, excusing himself to allow them some privacy. She stood there with her arms at her side in an awkward silence and Eli just stared at her.

"Come have a seat, Ziva." He said firmly. She sat in Vance's vacated chair and rested her hands on her lap. They sat in silence as an interrogation tactic and her anxiety was started to get the best of her, but she waited for him to talk. "You have been ignoring my phone calls and emails."

She nodded her head. "I have nothing I want to say to you." She said coolly.

He looked up at her with a look that she didn't recognize. "You never were disrespectful when you were a child." He said with a sigh, growing up he never had to tell her twice to do anything. "What have I done to deserve such hostility from you?"

"I have done everything you have ever asked from me and I have never asked for anything from you father." She answered, looking up at him with such a confidence that took everything to keep up.

He considered her words. "And what do you want from me?" He asked after a long moment of silence.

"I want to stay in America." She said firmly.

Eli didn't budge. "You do not belong here in America, they do not use you to your full potential." Eli argued and he folded his arms across his chest.

Ziva jumped to her feet and started to pace. "I do belong here, father and I am not an assassin anymore." She retorted. "I am good investigator and my skills are being put to better use as such."

"You are not telling me everything." Eli mentioned casually, giving her the once over. "Who is he?"

She sighed and her pacing slowed. "Anthony DiNozzo." She answered, an involuntary smile came to her face and he didn't miss it.

"The same man who killed a Mossad Agent."

She rolled her eyes. "The same man who saved me from a terrorist camp in Somalia." She cried out. "Tony is a good man."

Eli watched her carefully for any hint that she was lying because he had raised her to lie and be good at it. His eldest daughter excelled in everything he had put up against her and out did all the standards. What most people didn't know, Eli David was a romantic at heart and he believed that his daughter truly loved the man who was a thorn in his side while he when he had first met him. "Do you love him?"

Without missing a beat or really thinking the answer through, she nodded. "Yes." She answered with a nod as she stopped pacing in front of him.

"What have I taught you about falling in love?" He reprimanded with a smile and a finger pointed accusingly at her.

"That it is foolish." She said looking to her feet. "Maybe it is, but papa I am happy. Can you not leave it at that?"

He watched her for a moment longer and she folded her arms, unwavering under his unreadable expression. Eli had to agree with her, she did look happy and her eyes were that of a woman in love, not that of a killer as she was when she was younger, it was beautiful. "Alright." He said with a sigh.

"Alright?" She asked to clarify.

"If Anthony means that much to you, then stay in America." He said and excitedly she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, the first one in as long as she could remember.

"Thank you." She whispered into his ear as she pulled back and he caught her hand in his, taking in the ring on her finger and he eyed it suspiciously. "I am getting married. Tomorrow."

*~*

Tony was getting impatient. It was very possible one of them killed the other silently and nobody knew about it yet. He sat with his back against the wall and his SIG tucked in his holster under his jacket as he waited for her to exit.

His legs were falling asleep and weren't fully recovered from sleeping on the floor the night before, he moaned as the tingling feeling shot through his toes. He didn't sleep long though, after he helped Gibbs with the dishes he sat on the floor next to her as the boss retired to bed offering him a spare bed, which he declined.

The door handle jiggled and he jumped to his feet, falling into the wall slightly as Ziva stepped out of the room slightly surprised with her father in tow. She side stepped to him to catch him if he fell and placed her hands on his waist. "Are you okay?" She asked in a whisper.

"I'm fine I lost the circulation in my legs." He said with a smile. "Are you okay?'

She nodded as Eli spoke from behind them. "Anthony, may I have a word with you?" He asked politely and Tony inwardly groaned. One awkward prom date interview was bad enough, but two was hell. This man was very powerful and unlike Gibbs, he had a whole agency to do his bidding. He nodded and limped a bit before his legs worked properly enough to follow the director back into the office. This time he sat on one side of the table as Tony took the other, the older man sat in silence while the other one tapped his fingers on the table. "So. . ."

He sent the younger man a stony glare. "You are the reason my Ziva does not want to go back to Israel."He snapped, laying his hands on the table.

Tony didn't know whether or not to nod or shake his head, surely enough he wasn't the whole reason she wanted to stay at NCIS. "She is good at her job and she enjoys it. . ." He said trying to figure out what the man was playing at.

"Ziva has told me that you asked her to marry her." Eli prodded, laying his hands on the table and Tony nodded, suddenly he grew uncomfortable.

"We've both gone through a lot together in the last few years and when she stayed in Israel it was like a piece of me was missing. Then we though she was dead. . ." Tony answered before he interrupted him with a raise of his hand.

"You are in love with her yes?" He asked, as if trying to throw him off. This man was infamous for being the human lie detector and his face was emotionless.

"Yes." Tony said without thinking and it was easier than he thought it would be. To compare the last time he had openly admitted that he was in love was with Jeanne, but it was more of a convenience thing, to fall in love with her. With Jeanne, he had willing lied to his team and to her in order to get close to his father, but with Ziva he was willing to lie to the United States of America and to a man who could kill him without batting an eyelash that was her father. He realized he couldn't compare any woman he had ever been with to the Israeli ninja assassin that was his partner, though he had never actually been with her save for a few kisses that left him wanting more.

Even though this was a marriage of convenience, he couldn't see himself married to anyone else.

And that was when the realization hit him, Anthony DiNozzo king of the one night stand, was ready to settle down. Eli stood up and grabbed Tony's hand in his hand, pulling him to his feet. "You do realize that if you hurt her, I will kill you."

Tony nodded and tried to hide a flinch as he gripped his hand. "I know." Tony answered and Tony was pulled into an awkward hug with the man that he really couldn't hate anymore, he was the reason he was in the situation that they were in now and he couldn't back out now even if he wanted because it would compromise her position more than just fooling the US government.

"I do hope that grand children are in the near future." He said with a heart filled laugh.

He let out a nervous laugh. "We haven't really discussed it yet . . ."

*~*

Ziva sat at her desk with Gibbs as her company. "Does your father believe it?" Gibbs asked they had discussed telling her father about her wedding to play at his softer side and if he bought it, it gave them time for the immigration department to finalize all of her citizenship papers.

She nodded and looked up at the stairs again as a random aide walked down the stairs. The pre-meeting un-nervous feeling was nothing to the feeling that she was feeling now, it wasn't that she didn't think Tony could pull it off he just wore his insides on his sleeve.

Heart on his sleeve, she mentally scolded herself. She held her breath as another pair of feet came down the stairs with the familiar gait as Tony came down the stairs with a smile on his face. She jumped up and waited anxiously for him to come down the stairs as Gibbs got up, curious as to what he had to say.

He stood toe to toe, barely able to contain his excitement as he flexed his hands as if he wanted to touch her, but held back. "Went well, I guess?" Gibbs asked as he watched Ziva stand like an excited puppy.

With his boyish grin on his face. "He gave us his blessing." He said looking between Gibbs and his future wife.

She pulled an Abby and clapped her hands excitedly, surprising both men that she had enough self control to keep her feet planted on the ground. "Go ahead." Gibbs said as she pushed herself off of the desk and into the arms of Tony and he lifted her off her toes.

A squeal from Abby at the elevator, forced him to place her feet back on the floor and break apart. The woman shuffled her large boots along the carpet and gathered both of them in a hug. "Abby, Abby."Tony coughed out. ". . . can't breathe."

She let them both of them go out of her strong grip she stepped back with a tired and wide grin on her face. "I'm sorry guys, I'm just so excited for you guys." Abby said and pointed to Ziva. "I need you for awhile." She grabbed the Israeli by the arm and pulled her away from Tony. He shrugged before Ziva was pushed back into his arms with an unceremonious groan, his hands went to her waist to steady her which gained an amused smile from Gibbs, who moved back to his desk. "Give her a kiss because you won't see her until tonight."

"What?" Ziva asked as she up righted herself.

"Yes and I am planning your wedding, I make the rules." Abby argued, placing her hand on her hips. "Now Tony, give her a kiss before I change my mind because we have a lot to do." She tapped her foot impatiently.

He caught her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Try not to kill her, she is only trying to help."He said in a whisper before he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss and he turned her around and gave her a small shove towards Abby. "I will see you later."

"Good, come on Ziva."Abby latched onto her arm and dragged her away from the squad room and towards her lab.


	5. PreWedding Jitters

**Title: Daddy's Approval.**

**Author: SplishySplash, Ihave207Bones**

**Pairing: Tony/Ziva**

**Rating: K+**

**Spoiler: Season 7**

**Summary: Eli David comes to get his daughter, but not if Tony has anything to say about it. **

**Chapter 5: Pre-wedding Jitters**

Ziva sighed for the third time as she stood almost naked on a crate in front of Abby's desk with her arms held out to the side. Abby wrapped a yellow measuring tape around her breast and wrote down the number before turning back with a bright smile on her face. "The dress I picked out for you is going to totally blow everyone's mind." She said excitedly, measuring her waist.

"Are you sure all of this is necessary?" Ziva asked, the lab was chilly and she shivered slightly bringing bumps along her olive skin.

Abby nodded and it was her turn to roll her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course it is! You are getting married tomorrow, Ziva. You should be excited!"

"I am only getting married to stay in the country." She said slowly as if trying to not hurt her feelings as she hunched over measuring her hips.

Abby stood up with a full glare on her face. "I don't believe that, Ziva. If you think Tony is marrying you only for you to stay in the country, you are sadly mistaken."Abby snapped lightly. She pointed an accusatory finger at her, poking her lightly.

The agent turned on her glare. "Tony is just. . ."

She shook her head and gave a frustrated sigh. "Tony would do anything for you. . ."Her voice grew louder.

"Because he is my friend and I would do the same if he was in this situation." Ziva interrupted trying to remain neutral as Abby's hands went to her arms.

"No, because he is in love with you," Abby shouted, shaking her slightly. "A friend is McGee who is filling out your citizenship papers or me, who has been awake for twenty six hours planning a dream wedding. Don't you get it? He chased you around the world and now he won't let you out of his sight because he is scared he will lose you again. I have known Anthony DiNozzo for a very long time and I know for a fact that you are what he thinks about and you are what makes him happy."

Ziva looked away, unsure of what to say. She had been denying herself the chance to be happy since she came back to NCIS and what she just realized, that she had been denying it to everybody else around her. Especially Tony. "I do not deserve him."

The scientist's glare softened as she cupped her cheeks affectionately. "Yes you do. I know for a fact that you love him in return, so all of this is just forced timing. It would've happened eventually." Ziva wrapped her arms around the woman and held her tightly. "To tell you the truth, I was about to lock you both in a closet myself."

She laughed as a loud crash from the door caught their attention. McGee stood in the doorway surrounded by paper and he was on his knees trying to pick it up. "Sorry." McGee squeaked.

Abby placed her measuring stuff on her desk and knelt down to help him pick up the sprawled papers. "What can we do for you, McGee?" She asked as Ziva stepped off the crate and wrapped herself in a spare lab coat.

"I have those papers you asked for and I made all the necessary phone calls. . ." McGee rambled as he tried to remember the code that Abby made him talk in and avoiding eye contact with the women, particularly the Israeli whose long legs were distracting under the white lab coat.

"McGee!" Abby snapped to get him to stop rambling. A smile came to her face as they both stood to full height and she collected the clipboard and flipping through the pages with a nod. "Good work, Timmy."

"Can I put some clothes on?" Ziva asked from behind them.

Abby nodded and pulled McGee close. "You need to take Tony and Gibbs to get fitted for their tuxes in an hour." She said in a whisper as Ziva pulled her skirt up her long legs, he swallowed hard. "Did you make reservations. . ."

McGee nodded snapping his attention back to the dressed woman. "I did everything you asked, I am just waiting for Tony to finish his half of the paperwork and I will drop that off on the way to go get tuxes. Don't worry."

"Excellent." Abby said loudly before turning him around and giving him a shove out of the door. "Now go to the rental place, I already picked out the colors so just tell him that you are my friends." McGee left as Abby started giving Ziva instructions.

When the elevator door closed McGee closed his eyes, planning a wedding was exhausting. Between both him and Abby they had called in every favor imaginable to pull it off, with Abby's unique views of the world it was going to be beautiful and everything any woman wanted.

He wasn't ever having a wedding.

This busy work was ridiculous and it wasn't even his wedding he was knee deep in planning. He looked at his watch and gave an annoyed sigh, he was never going to make it to the immigrations office and to the tux place in an hour if the elevator didn't move any faster or if Tony didn't finish signing the papers.

His thoughts wandered back to Ziva who would be imprinted on his mind standing on the crate in her lacy underwear hugging the scientist, it was a wet dream in the making. The doors opened again and he rushed out of the elevator coming face to face with the groom to be, literally.

Tony laid on the floor, grasping at his nose. "Gah Probie!" He cried out as he pulled back to see his hands covered in blood, he frowned as he sat up. "Weren't we in a situation like this before?"

After the first time he leveled Tony to the floor with a bloody nose he started carrying a handkerchief in his pocket to save another fifty dollar tie from imminent death. "Yes." McGee said handing him the cloth and helping him to his feet.

"Wait." Tony said with another frown. "Abby didn't smack Ziva, did she?"

McGee shook his head negatively. "Not this time, Abby was hugging Ziva who was in her underwear." He said breathlessly.

Tony sighed. "Good, I was worried that Ziva would. . ." He stopped suddenly and frowned in realization. "Did you say underwear?"

The probie nodded almost excitedly before gaining a slap to the back of his head with Tony's available hand. "What was that for?" He said rubbing the spot.

"That is my future wife you are thinking about." Tony said almost proudly, his grin wide and teasing under the cloth at his nose. They both walked to the desks and Tony sat down, switching the cloth for a Kleenex as the bleeding slowed down as Gibbs looked up at them and placed the phone back in the cradle.

Gibbs got to his feet and started for the elevator. "Why are you sitting down, we've got to go." Gibbs said with McGee in tow. Tony bounced back to his feet and followed them, throwing away the Kleenex and stepping into the elevator. Gibbs turned to face him with an expectant look on his face. "Do you have the immigration papers?"

Tony cursed under his breath and shook his head as he stepped back off the elevator. "I will meet you at the car." As he went back to his desk, quickly signing the last few pages and pulling the tabs off, Ziva came from the other direction with her hair half pulled up and the other half were curled in soft ringlets down her back. "I see you've escaped Abby's lab."

She didn't see him and she looked up with a tense smile. "Only because she needed some hair pins," She said, rifling through her desk for the pins that hid in the back. "I do not have long before she releases the wolves after me."

"Hounds." He corrected with a smile. "Oh thanks for filling out my portion of these."He held up the file and tucked it under his arm.

She came around the desk and adjusted his tie that had become skewed when he ran into McGee. "It was nothing." She said, looking up at him. "I wanted to thank you for all of this."

As he opened his mouth to respond both of their names were called from both sides of the bullpen. He sighed and smiled at her. "It's not a. . . "A chorused David and DiNozzo from the ends of the room made him jump. "You're welcome." He turned on his heels and trotted towards the elevator.

When he reached the elevator he was greeted with another head slap. "I said we had to go, it means we have to go." Gibbs said as the elevator closed.

*~*

She sat down on Abby's couch with a sigh while Abby went into her bedroom. Spending the day getting pedicures, manicures and every other pre-wedding cure that one could think of left her exhausted and yet, Abby wasn't finished with her yet.

Her patience was wearing thin and the only thing that kept her sane was closing her eyes and breathing deeply, focusing her energy on the prize at the end. The chance to do her job without the chance of being pulled back to Israel, her new family and Tony was what kept her from strangling the scientist with her bare hands.

Abby came out of her room in a long black skirt and a tight white shirt and in her newly painted hand was a dress on a hanger. "Put this on." Abby said and Ziva looked up confused. "We are having a little celebration dinner."

Ziva didn't say anything only got up and walked towards the bathroom before turning to the exhausted goth. "Thank you Abby."

"No problem, Ziva."

*~*

Gibbs, McGee and Tony arrived to Washington D.C.'s newest five star restaurant just shy of six, having barely made it to the immigration office before the four o'clock deadline. McGee had to run in the building and Gibbs had to play the intimidator as Tony played one side of the Newlywed Game. If being interrogated for murder was hard, being interrogated to keep someone in the country was no easy feat.

Where was she born? Easy answer, she was born in Tel Aviv on November 12, 1979 which was a week away gaining him some points with Phil, the probie's wire framed glasses and long nosed friend who was interviewing him.

It got more difficult when they asked about her childhood. Ziva wasn't open about her childhood, he only knew about her sister who died at the end of her childhood. She loved to dance and she was probably very good at it that he knew. But to save from more questioning, Phil was called out for an emergency.

They waited in the foyer for Abby and Ziva quietly, but they didn't wait long and as they walked in Tony's breath hitched. Ziva wore a magenta dress that hugged her curves tightly and stopped just above her knee with her hair down in soft curls. Gibbs greeted both women with a fatherly kiss to the cheek as Tony smiled which she returned awkwardly, he dramatically held out his hand for her to take and hesitantly she grasped it. She shook her head and forced the hesitation away, giving his hand a tight squeeze.

"Well I'll be. . ." Said a familiar voice from behind them.

Turning around they saw Palmer and Ducky walking into the restaurant both with expectant smiles on their faces. "Nice of you to join us." Gibbs said with a smile.

"Well I was invited to a wedding." Ducky said with a chuckle and he pulled Ziva in for a hug. She looked at Tony in surprise, both medical examiners were supposed to be at a conference until early the next week. "Congratulations my dear."

She whispered her thanks as the maître d' beckoned them to follow him again, he lead them through the dimly lit restaurant all of them in awe of the large fountain in the middle and coy swimming in the bottom. Random fauna lined the street lamp pillars and they were led into a private room which had its own small fountain in the corner and a long glass table.

Tony pulled out her chair for her and when he sat down his arm went around the back of her chair, listening intently to Ducky start a story. Ziva surveyed the area for anything suspicious, something felt off. In the middle of Ducky's story, Tony grasped Ziva's tightly clenched fist sending her a look of concern. "What's wrong?" He whispered.

Scanning the room one more time, Ziva frowned. "Something seems off." She whispered. "I can't place my hand on in."

"It's finger on it." He corrected softy and he too scanned the room for anything, but saw nothing. "You need to loosen up, Ziva. We are getting married tomorrow." He rubbed her back, his hand brushing the exposed top of her back and made her hair stand on end. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, willing the anxious energy away from her. She released the shaky breath and opened her eyes. "Feel better?"

She nodded, but it was a lie. Ziva wasn't sure what was making her so unsure, but she pushed it away at least visibly. "Yes." She said in a whisper.

"Are you happy?" He asked tenderly.

She looked up at him and smiled. She was allowed to stay in America with her. . . family. Gibbs had taken the role of the overprotective father, Ducky the uncle who had all of the stories, Abby was like the crazy sister, McGee the little brother and Palmer was a zany cousin who came to family functions to find a date and Tony, her husband. She wouldn't have it any other way, these people accepted her for who she is and has helped her when she found herself in rough situations without judgment. The reality of the situation hit her she was getting married tomorrow. "Yes I am very happy." He leaned in an kissed her softly on the lips, gaining a coo from Abby and every pair of eyes on them.

She pulled back with a blush and a small giggle. Tony let off his best boyish grin and only kissed her again as Gibbs rolled his eyes he should smack him upside the head, but he would let him have today and tomorrow and after that it was free game.

Gibbs sat across the table observing the pair as Ziva showed Ducky the ring on her finger and Tony laughed. His obvious affection for the woman was evident from day one, Anthony DiNozzo was as subtle as a billboard when it came to her and as much as he tried, Gibbs knew that one day they would be in this situation. He didn't miss Ziva scanning the room for the third time, she sensed something but said nothing, making him more vigilant to his surroundings because he would be damned letting something happen to either of them, his family. "Jethro, won't you tell us how you met to Shannon?" Asked Ducky bringing him from his thoughts and a smile came to his face.

"I was shipping out to basic training in the summer of 1976 and I finally introduced myself to her at the train station. . ."


	6. White Wedding

**Title: Daddy's Approval.  
****Author: SplishySplash, Ihave207Bones  
****Pairing: Tony/Ziva  
****Rating: K+  
****Spoiler: Season 7  
****Authors Note: I apologize for the wait, my birthday came up and I got the cutest kitten named McGee. School and finals have been taking up my life, but thats done. Next chapter will be up shortly after I decide if I should do a honeymoon chapter or do a Gibbs/McGee/Abby chapter or both, I am open to any and all ideas! Thanks.  
****Summary: Eli David comes to get his daughter, but not if Tony has anything to say about it. **

**Chapter 6: White Wedding**

The day couldn't have been any better.

It was as if someone up there had thought that Tony and Ziva needed a break, the sun was shining and the crisp November air was warm and just perfect for a wedding, if you asked Abby. She had been up with the roosters putting the final touches on Gibbs' backyard and she couldn't have asked for a more beautiful place to host a wedding. The leaves had changed and began to fall, surrounding the rows of chairs and the arch in leaves.

She placed the last of the lights in the arch when the sliding glass door opened and a freshly showered Gibbs stepped outsides. "Good morning Gibbs." Abby said excitedly from the ladder, pinning the rest of the flowers on the top. Gibbs didn't recognize his own backyard in the midst of the chairs, arches, lights and flowers. He had always kept it well manicured and taken sometime to trim the bushes and mow the lawn, but she had completely out done herself. "Well, what do you think?"

He nodded. "It's beautiful, Abby." He said appreciatively with a smile. "Do you need any help?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I am finished." She said with a smile, wiping her hands on her pants before climbing down the ladder. "Is Ziva awake yet?"

"She went for a run, she will be back soon. . ." He started to explain when she interrupted him.

"She did what? I told her to sleep in and rest!" Abby said with an impatient sigh and Gibbs placed his hands on her arms and held a reassuring smile on his face.

"Ziva needs to get rid of some energy because she has a lot going on through her head at the moment." He said softly. "It's her special day, she's just a little anxious."

Abby pulled him into a hug. "You are just a big softie on the inside."

Gibbs pressed his lips to the side of her head. "Just don't tell anybody." He whispered.

*~*

McGee stood over Tony, who was asleep in his bed. "Tony." He said in a whisper. Tony rolled over and ignored him as McGee tapped him. "Tony!"

"What McGee?" He snapped, brushing his hand away from his face. His eyes opened as he sat up confused, why was the probie waking him up? It all came back to him, he was getting married today. Never had he thought that he would be one to walk down the aisle because he was comfortable with dating and sleeping with whom he pleased, but he didn't feel tied down like he thought he would be and he was happy.

"Wake up, we have a schedule we have to stick to. . ."McGee said, taking a step back.

"A schedule?" Tony asked, sitting up more fully on his bed and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

McGee nodded grimly. "Abby has it down to the minute and right now we are behind by three minutes." He explained, pulling out the paper from his pocket and showing it to Tony. It was obsessively thorough and on the top included the basic wake up routine of brushing teeth and had allowed time to use the restroom. "She pretty much told me that if I don't follow it to the letter than she is going to dispose of my body where no one could find it and erase all history that I ever existed. . ."

Tony placed his feet on the floor and stretched. "Isn't she being a little obsessive about this? I bet Ziva is as cool as a cucumber right now." He said with a yawn, he couldn't complain because they were both doing them a favor.

"She just wants it to be perfect." McGee said. "She doesn't want you to get arrested for fooling the government and Ziva to get deported."

He got up and placed a hand on McGee's shoulder. "I'm not fooling anybody, Tim."

*~*

The anxiety was not helping her situation.

It did make her run farther than she thought she did as her loop ended her back at Gibbs' place just as the sun rose from the east, but it didn't help relieve the excess energy that she was feeling. She opened the door and was greeted by Abby, who shoved a piece of toast into her mouth and led her upstairs to what used to be Kelly's bedroom that they both took refuge in for the night.

When she was able to control her movements, she took the toast out of her mouth and sat it down on the night stand. Abby placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "You need to eat."

Ziva shook her head. "I am not hungry." She said, grabbing her things to take a shower, when the scientist grabbed her arm.

"It's okay to be nervous, Ziva." Abby said reassuringly and Ziva only nodded before stepping into the bathroom. She rested her back against the door she slid down to the floor with her forehead resting in her palm. It wasn't that she was nervous, the uneasy feeling had kept her up all night and her run wasn't just to release pent up energy, it was to scope out the area for potential threats.

She found nothing. She was being overly cautious.

With a sigh she left the support of the door and slowly started to pull undress. The water was warm and just what she needed, her worries went down the drain with the sweat.

A knock on the door made her jump. "Ziva?"

"Yeah Abby?" she asked as she turned the water off and wrapped a towel around her small frame. Ziva opened the door and in the hands of the scientist was the underwear that was traditionally worn under dresses with a garter belt and a strapless corset. "Oh."

Abby only smiled as the door shut, Tony was going to owe her for the rest of her life. She plugged her arsenal of hair styling tools and set up her make up in order of use, efficiency was the key to being successful because they only had four hours until they tied the knot.

She cooed excitedly as she portioned her hair to be straightened, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony DiNozzo had a nice ring to it, whether Ziva liked it or not McGee spent the majority of the night filling out change of name forms and changing them on the computers. As she pulled the first inch of hair through the flat iron, Ziva came out with a towel wrapped around her head and it started the caffeine induced scientist, who burned her scalp with the iron. "Ouch!"

"I am sorry, I . . ." Ziva apologized reaching out to help her.

Abby smiled warmly and held her hand up. "I'm fine, let's get you dressed!"

*~*

Tony stood in front of the mirror and tied his tie, quietly thanking Abby for not going with the bow tie because it made his ears look big, but the deep wine color made him look hot. His long fingers worked the buttons on his vest and he fought away the nervous feeling that every movie he had ever seen about people getting married had gone through.

What he wanted to do was to talk to Ziva. But McGee took all of his outside communications as per Abby's instructions and it just made he want to talk her more. He wanted to make sure that she was doing okay, she didn't do so well being pressured to do things she didn't want to do and it wasn't like most people who wallowed in a corner and cried, she got violent and that could spell trouble for Abby.

He knew that she would never hurt her, but she still had the potential and that she would probably take the frustrations out on him. A knock brought him out of his reverie. "Tony?" It was McGee, he was dressed in the same deep wine vest and a jacket. "Are you ready to go?"

He nodded with a smile, he turned around with a clap. "Come on McGee, let's get this show on the road."

*~*

Abby finished with her hair and stood back to admire her work. It was a well known fact that Tony was a fan of her hair up secured with pins with light blue diamonds buried deep within the curls while the veil was clipped to the back of her head.

"It is beautiful Abby, I do not know how to thank you." Ziva said, looking at herself in the vanity.

She beamed at her. "Don't thank me just yet we still need to get you into the dress." She said, reaching into the closet for the bag. In it, it hid the dress that Abby had picked out and she pulled a long white dress. Ziva gasped as she put it on, the thin straps hung from her shoulders as the chiffon crinkled dress fell to the floor, hugging her curves tightly from the empire waist.

"Abby. . ." She all but croaked and gathered the women into a hug.

When she released the hug, Abby reached over and brushed the tear from her face. "Don't cry, Ziva. You'll ruin your makeup." Abby said with a sniffle and Ziva wiped a tear that fell from Abby's eyes. "Come on, we aren't done yet."

She reached into a box on the bed for a smaller one, in it was a necklace. It was a single pearl on a white gold chain that rested against her chest. "This baby had been around for a very long time, I think it brings me luck." Abby explained playing with the clasp and whispering something that sounded like something borrowed. "I got these earrings yesterday, I thought they matched beautifully." Something new. "I just need something old."

A knock on the door was followed by Gibbs walking in. "Are you almost ready? All the guests are here." He asked, he looked good in his tux just as Abby had planned.

"Almost, I need something old." She said and Ziva gave her a confused look.

"It's a wedding tradition." Gibbs translated and handed over a golden bracelet. "This will work."

It was a simple tennis bracelet with a heart charm at the clasp, leaving both women struggled to come up with something to say, but Ziva settled with wrapping her arms around him and whispering into his ear. "Thank you."

He smiled. "Come on, it's bad luck to be late on your wedding day."

*~*

Tony stood at the altar next to McGee and the priest with every pair of eyes on him. The seats were filled with their closest friends and coworkers both from NCIS and the FBI, but their gaze switched to the back to the house when the music started.

_/And you ask me what I want this year/and I try to make this kind and clear/ Just a chance that we'll find better days/_

She felt a tug on her arm and Gibbs gave her a small smile as they watched Abby walk down the aisle first with her bouquet of sunflowers. She couldn't see Tony, but she knew he was waiting for her at the end.

_/I need some place simple where we could live / And something only you can give/ And that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive/_

As he led her down the aisle, she closed her eyes momentarily and putting all over her trust in her father figure, trust that he would not lead her astray and that she was doing the right thing.

_/I wish everyone was loved tonight/ and somehow stop this endless fight/just the chance that maybe we'll find better days/_

While every pair of eyes was on her, hers was on his. His boyish grin waited for her patiently as they walked slowly towards him, his breath hitched slightly because she was beyond beautiful with her eyes bright and her small smile pointed at him. McGee elbowed him slightly to make sure he would start breathing again, gaining nothing from Tony except a small sigh.

_/Cause tonight's the night the world begins again/_

Gibbs pressed a kiss to her forehead as the stopped in front of Tony, he passed her small hand into his and all the nervousness she was feeling before had disappeared as she stared into his eyes, which stood out against the wine colored vest and tie and she concluded that she was happy.

She never pictured herself at this point, standing at an altar with a man she now knew would do anything for her, screw the reason she was here in the first place, she was where she wanted to be and Tony was where she needed him to be.

In Tony's opinion she could've worn a paper bag and still looked beautiful, but the dress left just enough for the imagination and Tony couldn't tear his eyes off her face. He repeated everything the priest had asked him too, not allowing himself to look at the man.

Her hands were soft, whereas his was just a tad sweaty and it amused her as she slid the platinum ring on to his finger in its now permanent spot, she could joke about it later and all thoughts were chased away as the matching ring was slid onto her finger. Ziva stared at it for a moment before she registered the words 'you may kiss the bride' came from the priest and Tony did just that.

His lips found hers and they kissed for the first time as man and wife. After a moment, Tony dipped her and the veil touched the ground, gaining a muffled squeak from her and a laugh from the audience. When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead against her.

"May I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Anthony DiNozzo for the first time to your friends and family." The priest said and they were greeted by a round of applause before being pulled into a suffocating hug from Abby.

McGee had to pull her off of them and then hugged both of them separately before they faced the crowd.

*~*

It had taken for what seemed like eternity to get through all the congratulations, well wishes and hugs from everybody that they had the chance to stand together on the make shift dance floor on what once was a motor home pad. Their foreheads were touching and they held each other tightly, swaying to the music from the DJ that looked like a twelve year old that Abby had found from somewhere.

The song ended and the two slowly broke apart and vacated the dance floor, leaving Abby dancing with Palmer and Vance dancing with his wife. She immediately pulled her shoes off and leaned back in the chair as Tony placed a glass of wine in front of her. "Are you okay?" He asked in a whisper.

She looked up with a smile as he sat down next to her. "I am fine, you?"She asked, taking a sip from the glass.

"I'm excellent." Tony said leaning in for a kiss when he pulled back his charm smile was on in full effect. "I like that I get to kiss you whenever I want."

It was her turn to kiss him, this time a bit more daring and sliding her tongue against his. Her hand cupped his cheek and it deepened, only to be broken by being surrounded by catcalls. They broke apart with a laugh and Gibbs came over to her, extended his hand to for a dance and she shared a look with Tony before getting up to head back to the dance floor.

They swayed to Bob Carlisle's Butterfly Kisses and Gibbs couldn't be more proud for the woman in his arms. She had been nervous and he had found her sitting in his basement early in the morning. They didn't talk about anything important, just enjoyed each other's company until the sun came up and he encouraged her to go for a run to get the excess energy out.

She looked down almost nervously and grasped her chin. "What?" He asked.

"I do not know how to thank you." She answered.

He sighed. "I just want you and Tony to be happy." Gibbs said pressing his lips to her forehead as the song ended.

Tony, McGee and a man that she didn't recognize approached them on the floor. His arm went around waist and he pressed his lips to the side of her head. "This is Phil, the guy from the immigration department." Tony said. Phil had a clipboard in his hands and he looked official.

Ziva extended her hand to him to shake. "It is good to meet you." She said.

He nodded and pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before taking her hand in his. "Congratulations Mrs. DiNozzo, it was a beautiful ceremony." He said. She nodded thanks as he began to explain the next steps in the procedure to make her a citizen as her attention began to wander something he said caught her attention. ". . . And that depends when the baby's due. . ."

"Excuse me?" Asked Ziva and Tony simultaneously, sharing a look.

McGee was no longer standing next to them, but hiding behind Abby. "When is the baby due?" He asked, looking back to the clipboard. They shared another look and opened and closed their mouths a couple of times, but were saved by his cell phone going off. "If you will excuse me. . ."

It was Ziva whose smile turned to a scowl and suddenly it was McGee who was dinner. She trotted over to him and backed him into a corner. "You told him I was pregnant?" She all but growled at him, Gibbs and Tony watched almost amused and Abby wasn't sure how to react.

"I . . . It was an accident." He stuttered he never liked being under the spot light especially when she could kill him with one of the pins in her hair. "He said it would help you stay in the country and . . . I jumped at the chance."

She huffed and walked away.

"If it helps, I said she might be!" McGee shouted towards her and Tony turned to follow her with the roll of the eyes, leaving Gibbs to comfort the terrified probie. "She's going to kill me." He muttered.

Gibbs nodded, "Probably." He said with a laugh, before he was dragged back to the dance floor by Abby.

Tony followed her and grabbed her hand to stop her from going inside. "Ziva, will you stop." He said, pulling her into his chest. "What's wrong?"

She huffed and buried her face into his chest. "This is just moving fast." She said, muffled by his vest. His heartbeat was comforting as was his warm embrace. "Three days ago we were pretending that we did not want each other and two days ago we were engaged and today we are married. Now we are expected to have children?"

"It will be alright, Ziva." He whispered into her hair, he watched a smile come to her face. "We will take this however you want."

"Thank you." She whispered, kissing him again.

*~*

Ziva sat next to Tony with a sigh and rested her head against his arm. It was late when the guests left the reception with hugs and congratulations, as the majority of the backyard was put back to normal when they finally got to sit down on the couch. McGee had left still nervous and Abby had almost instantly fallen asleep in the chair with her bare feet on the coffee table and her head in her hand.

Gibbs was last to sit down, with a glass of bourbon in his hand and a sigh. Ziva's hand went to her hair and began to pull the pins from her hair. It wasn't until she elbowed Tony four times that he began to take over and free her hair from its hold. Gibbs reached into his pocket and handed Ziva two tickets.

"What is this?" She asked, showing it to Tony.

"It's a gift from Ducky and Palmer." Gibbs said as she read the details on pad and she gasped.

With a surprised laugh she told Tony what they said. "They got us tickets for an Alaskan cruise." She said excitedly.

"Ducky thought it would be appropriate." Gibbs said and she nodded excitedly. She had talked to the medical examiner about it in a diversion attempt away from her experience in Africa and Tony didn't mind freezing his ass off on a boat with her. "And it will get you off grid for awhile so we can make sure that everything is normal."

Tony smiled at her excitement as he pulled the last of his her hair pins and an accumulation of them now rested on his lap. He was slightly amused as the pile got bigger and took notice of a wince. "Sorry, just how many pins did she use?"

"Sixty-seven, I think." Ziva said with a yawn, as Tony pulled the last one out and ran his fingers through her soft hair. "What do we do now?"

Gibbs got to his feet and motioned for them to follow, slowly and with bare feet, Ziva got up after a hand from Tony was extended. She hadn't been this warn down in a very long time, both physically and emotionally. "You go home and get some rest, I will pick you up at 0630 tomorrow to take you to the airport." He said as he wrapped his arms around Ziva, pressing his lips to the side of her head.

They were about to leave when Tony was pulled into a hug from Gibbs also, something that he had never done in the entire time he knew him. "I'm so proud of you Anthony." He said in a whisper, just soft enough Ziva couldn't hear.

Tony nodded. "Thanks boss, I needed to hear that."


	7. Honeymoon

**Title: Daddy's Approval **

**Author: Ihave207Bones, SplishySplash**

**Pairing: Tony/Ziva**

**Rating: M**

**Spoiler: Season Seven**

**Summary: Eli David comes to get his daughter, but not if Tony has anything to say about it. **

Tony stretched his long achy legs, he was scrunched up for six hours in an airplane and then in the backseat of a taxi for another thirty minutes until they stood hand in hand at the dock. The boat seemed bigger than the aircraft carrier that he had spent four months on and bigger than what he imagined the Titanic to be.

Then he remembered that he hated boats. "So remind me, why Alaska?" He asked his . . . wife.

She looked up excitedly. "I have never been." She answered and he raised his brow, she wasn't telling him everything. "It was to change the subject when Ducky was trying to talk to me about what happened when I was in Africa."

"And you couldn't choose somewhere warmer?" He asked with a teasing smile, she looked up to retort but was stopped by his lips being pressed to hers. "I was looking forward to the bikinis."

Her smile grew wicked. "Why?" She asked, her eyes sparkled playfully. "When you can have the real thing."

"Oh. I guess I forgot." He said kissing her again the line moved forward and it was their turn to board the ship. "Alaska is fine then."

The man at the counter was dressed to the nines down to his shiny leather shoes. "Welcome to the Sapphire Princess." He said officially, his accent was thick with something Tony didn't recognize. Ziva gave him the tickets and he scanned them into the computer. "Ah Mr. and Mrs. Anthony DiNozzo, we have been waiting for you if you please follow Frances, he will show you to your suite."

They shared a look as their luggage was taken from them and they followed the man onto the cruise liner. The hallway was brightly lit and decorated modestly with paintings and statues until they reached the middle of the ship and it was enough to make both of them gasp slightly as they looked over the side at the floors towards the bottom, people stood randomly on the floors.

"The Sapphire Princess is the most prestigious liner in the Pacific Ocean and you are in one of our finest rooms." Frances said and he motioned for them to follow him down another hallway. "Here we are, state room ten-thirteen."

They stood slightly in awe. "This is bigger than my apartment." Tony commented as he reached into his pocket to tip the man, who left without another word. The room had a small kitchenette in one corner with chairs and a table next to it across from a large sitting area and big screen TV, in the back was a mini bar and a king sized bed. The bathroom was epic, with a large bathtub in one corner and shower in the other. Tony sat down the laptop bag on one of the couches and flopped on the bed. "Woah, this bed is nice."

Ziva rolled her eyes and climbed on to the bed. She had to admit it was probably one of the most comfortable beds that she had ever sat upon, not that she would admit to it. "It is alright." She said and with a wicked smile she crawled across the space and straddled him, sitting on his lap.

"Just alright?" He said playfully, rubbing her arms with his hands before making their way to her waist. "I can see if I can fix that." He sat up slightly, meeting her lips with his and his hands found their way under her shirt, his fingers brushing against her rib cage.

She broke this kiss momentarily to remove the article of clothing, before immediately pressing her lips back to his and her fingers began to work the buttons of his shirt. When he was free from the buttons, he rolled them over so that he was straddling her and he pinned her to the mattress as his lips traveled from hers down to her neck, mapping the uncharted territories. His hand traced patterns down the side of her body, down to her thigh and hooking her leg around him to increase the pressure between them.

Ziva sighed contently as her hands worked his belt buckle, she worked the button of his jeans and expertly his pants ended up on the floor before he knew what had happened. He returned the favor, pulling her slacks off and sat back to admire her, lying on her back in her black lacy underwear. "You are so beautiful." He whispered, pressing a nipping kiss at her neck.

She didn't say anything she was distracted by him pressing into her. She rolled them over again and brushed her lips against his chest and down to his belly, hooking her fingers into the waist line of his boxers and soon that met his jeans on the floor. She released a small gasp when she saw him, he definitely met her approval.

Her mouth came back to his and his hands traveled down her body resting on her panty clad hips. His touch brought goose bumps to her skin and a smile to his lips. He sat up and let his tongue map out her neck and collar bone as he freed her breasts from their lacy holds.

Tossing her head back, her hair fanned down her back in curls and giving him full access to her neck.

In long stretched moments both of them were completely naked and tangled up in each other's arms. She felt his hand slide to the dip of her waist as he used his other one to guide himself into her and she gasped, wrapping her legs around him and tried to pull herself up. The delicious burn of stretching of being filled only went so far and an unfamiliar whimper escaped from her lips, he smiled into her hair because it was him that making her feel that way as he started with a slow, even pace.

"Tony." She growled and he picked up his pace. Her fingers dug into his back, he wasn't leaving until she was done with him and she didn't care if she left marks.

With every thrust and every cry of each other's name they were getting closer to becoming one with each other, only for him to slow down to reach for his wallet and she groaned. "Don't stop." She whispered into her ear.

He stopped completely for a moment and grabbed her chin to look at him. "Are you sure?" He asked and she nodded, bucking her hips against his and returned his attention to his thrusts, burying himself deep inside her until they both reached their peak and they both collapsed in a heap on the bed.

She buried her face into his chest, playing with the chest hairs as she did when they were undercover only this time they were completely naked and completely satisfied. They laid there breathlessly for a moment before Ziva started to giggle.

"What?" He asked, brushing his finger down her face. Her skin was soaked with sweat and soft and completely touchable, his for the taking.

"My life does have new meaning now." She said, remembering the time when they were stuck in the shipping container and he started to laugh.

He pushed himself up to look at her in the eye. "Good, my goal is complete." He said and they both shared a laugh, before they fell asleep content in each others arms.

*~*

Gibbs sat in an empty bullpen staring out the window and McGee sat at his desk, typing idly on his computer. The silence was getting to the younger man and it had been going on for nearly a week. "Sure is quiet with them gone." He said, pulling Gibbs from his reverie.

"Enjoy it while it lasts." Gibbs said with a smile as the familiar ping of an email echoed through the room. McGee looked back to his computer and the electronic mail was from Ziva.

"Hey Ziva just emailed me." He said excitedly and Gibbs got up to walk over to his desk. McGee opened the link as he stood over his shoulder and the first to load was a picture of both Tony and Ziva dressed in a wet suits and lifejackets in a tandem kayak smiling brightly.

McGee scrolled down a little farther and the next one brought a smile to Gibbs' stony face, both of them were in the water next to an upturned kayak and on Tony's face was a glare that revealed his own and Ziva was laughing. McGee narrated what Ziva had to say about their trip to Alaska and Tony's ineptness to the wild. They both were enjoying themselves and that they would call them later, it was followed by more pictures of them and deep sea fishing, Ziva held a large fish in her hand and looked at Tony's who was noticeably smaller than hers. "I didn't think Tony would enjoy himself this much." Abby said, appearing from nowhere to stand next to Gibbs.

"He is with Ziva, of course he'll enjoy himself." McGee said. "It's a free pass to break the rules . . .Sorry Boss."

Gibbs' smile didn't falter as he clasped the younger man on the shoulder, before turning into boss mode. "They will want to know the situation with Eli David. What do we have?"

Abby came around, sitting at Ziva's empty desk. "He passed through customs at Dulles yesterday and just landed in Tel Aviv three hours ago." She said, opening the desk and pulling out Ziva's 'playing' knife.

"What was he doing before then?"Gibbs asked, sitting on the edge of his desk and folded his arms.

McGee pulled up a picture on the plasma. "He was holed up in the International Security Organization conference over at the Kennedy Center." The pictures were of high quality of Ziva's father with random people in the security community. He clicked through the slideshow of pictures one after another of Eli David eating with important people or sitting in a lecture taking notes. "I did check all the calls coming and going from his hotel room and there was a bunch of calls placed between him and the Israeli Embassy."

A picture that he stopped on caught the older man's attention and when McGee looked up from his computer, Gibbs was gone. "I hate it when he does that."

Abby was staring at the elevator before looking back at him. "Check how long the conference was, we may have days unaccounted for."

*~*

It wasn't often that Gibbs walked into the J. Edgar Hoover building, he preferred to keep things at home base just in case he needed anything, but today it was called for. He waited impatiently for a visitor badge and took the catacombs of hallways up to the desired office.

His friend was sitting at his desk with his glasses in his hand, reading over a file that laid on his desk. He didn't hear Gibbs walk into the office, let alone sit down in the chair in front of his desk. "Good afternoon Tobias." He said and the man jumped.

His hand went to his chest and he looked startled. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" He asked, looking annoyed. Gibbs only smirked before returning to his normal professional self. "What can I do for you?"

"You went to the International Security Organization conference last week." Gibbs answered.

Fornell nodded. "Yes, was I supposed to tell you?" He asked.

Gibbs only shrugged. "You were in contact with the director of Mossad, Eli David."

"Yes, I did have lunch with him once or twice and sat in some of the same lectures. What is this about?" He asked getting suspicious. Gibbs leaned back and crossed his legs, his gaze was dark and almost accusing him of treachery. "Is this about his daughter, your agent Ziva David?"

"Did you talk about her?" Gibbs asked.

Fornell shrugged his shoulders noncommittally and shuffled the papers on his desk. "Only that she got married to DiNutzo last weekend, congratulations by the way now he has a solid alibi." He said with a smile.

Gibbs rolled his eyes, he wasn't going into detail of the marriage itself. "They are good for each other, but that isn't what I was talking about."

"You want to know if he has any plans for her?" Fornell asked. "The way I see it is that she married an American that isn't Jewish and then not get invited to the wedding, if I was in his shoes I would be pissed too. We didn't dwell on the subject of his daughter, we had more important things to discuss."

"Like?"

"International security, it is the ISO conference for god's sake." He said and Gibbs got up, leaving his office more aggravated than before.

*~*

When he came back into the building, McGee and Abby were waiting for him with information and it was spilling out before he had time to take off his jacket. "The ISO conference was Monday through Wednesday of last week and took every moment of those days." Abby said with a frown.

"Sunday he checked into the Israeli Embassy at 0830 and left around 1230, we were able to follow him through the day via the GPS on the car. . ." McGee started before Gibbs interrupted.

"How did you get the GPS on the car?" He asked with a raised brow.

McGee swallowed visibly and grew nervous under his gaze. "All cars driven by foreign consulates are recorded for the State Department's records just in case one gets hijacked or stolen and all I had to do was get into the State Departments data base and voila."

Gibbs nodded, impressed by the junior agent. "Good work McGee." He said proudly and McGee smiled. "But that doesn't account for Friday after he left and all day Saturday."

Abby nodded. "We are working on that, trying to find a cell phone or a credit card without actually having one is like a needle in a haystack, but my computers are running them now." She said and she looked at her watch. "They should be calling soon I have a web cam set up down stairs."

They followed the Goth down to her lap with a stop to the Caf-Pow machine before they waited for both Ziva and Tony on the web cam. It didn't take long until they were standing face to face with Ziva, whose attention was off camera. ". . . Seriously Tony, I am making the connection right now. . ." She said with a sigh and she turned her attention to the screen to see them staring back at her. "Oh hello."

Gibbs' smile was amused and both Abby and McGee laughed, waving to the camera. "How are you Ziva?" Abby asked.

Her smile was broad and she genuinely looked happy. "I am fine, how is everything back in Washington?" Ziva asked as he name was called from the background, she ignored Tony and kept her focus on the team.

Gibbs nodded. "It's still here, what about Alaska?" He asked as Tony took a seat next to Ziva with his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his embrace.

"It's freezing and you are lucky to get any sun around here." Tony complained with a frown before it turned into a smile at the end of Ziva's elbow. "It's beautiful." He was wearing an open Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts and flip flops.

"Tony, you look a little out of place there." McGee commented with a smile.

He shrugged. "I am bundled up like an Eskimo all day, at night I get to dress like Magnum." He said with his bright smile and Ziva only shook her head as she gained the looks of the team as if to say 'you allow that?'

"Do not look to me I am only married to the man." She answered, idly playing with the ring on her finger. "I found the perfect gift for you Abby, you are going to love it."

Tony glared playfully at her. "I believe it was I that found it, sweet cheeks." He said and it was her turn to glare at him and he recanted his statement. "Right, you found it."

Abby laughed and clapped her hands excitedly. "Now I really can't wait till you guys get back, it's been way too quiet." She said excitedly, her insides were warm and fuzzy from the display from the pair because they were the epitome of a married couple.

Things grew somber for a moment and she took Tony's hand in hers. Gibbs noticed the sudden shift. "Have you had any contact with your father since last Friday?" Gibbs asked.

She bit her lip and looked at their joined hands, even Tony looked surprised. "He left me a voicemail on Saturday, telling me that it was not too late to go back to Israel and that this wedding idea was foolish." Ziva said, both Gibbs and Tony knew that it wasn't all of it and Tony nudged her to continue. "I got another voicemail a couple of days ago from someone I did not recognize that said that I was a disgrace to Israel and to my father, I cannot go back to Israel or I will be killed."

Gibbs' hand went to his forehead to rub away the headache he that was building behind his forehead as Tony asked her to question all of them were begging for an answer. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

She released a shaky breath. "I do not want you to get hurt, Tony. This is my battle. . ." She started.

Tony interrupted her and held her by the cheek. "No it isn't, Ziva. The moment you agreed to marry me, your problems became our problems and I will not let you go through this alone." The three in the lab shared a look, when had Tony grown up to this man that they barely recognized? She whispered something to Tony that they missed and he pressed his lips to hers before returning his attention to them. "Is there something we don't know about?"

"Eli David was at the International Security Organization conference until yesterday when he flew out of Dulles, he landed in Tel Aviv earlier today." Gibbs started. "His alibi is airtight for the conference."

"We were able to track his vehicle movement on Sunday because the Embassy gave him one of theirs, but even then it is spotty." McGee said. "We also don't have anything on him for Friday and Saturday."

Tony was about to ask something, but Abby shook her head they were not supposed to think about this while they were away. "We are working on it you guys have fun and enjoy the rest of your honeymoon."

"But. . ." Ziva said, shifting in her seat.

Gibbs shook his head, Abby was right. "Don't worry about it right now." He said, leaving no room for argument. "We will see you next week." With that they said their goodbyes and closed the chat down and the three shared a look.

"What do we do now boss?" McGee asked after a long moment of silence.

Gibbs took a deep breath, the headache was getting worse and he needed to think. "We figure out what Eli David was doing before the conference before they come home. But go home and get some rest, we need a fresh start for tomorrow."


End file.
